The current issue of the Sprinkler Age, an American Fire Sprinkler Association publication, contains an article by James Golinveaux of Tyco Fire Protection Products providing an update for sloped-ceiling installations included in the 2013 edition of NFPA 13D: Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems in One- and Two-Family Dwellings and Manufactured Homes. Mr. Golinveaux says that the new simplified field installation for sloped-ceiling spaces is the result of eight years of study, testing, and cooperation. He tells us that this research was done to provide data on the “life safety” potential of residential sprinklers on sloped ceilings outside of the “listing”protocol. A Fire Protection Research Foundation study found that “residential sprinklers listed for applications with flat, smooth ceilings can be expected to perform adequately when installed on a sloped ceiling or sloped and beamed ceiling arrangements similar to those investigated as part of this study”; with certain restrictions and limitations related to design configurations. According to Mr. Golinveaux “practically speaking” the 2013 edition of NFPA 13D results in the following benefits: Sprinkler contractors will realize a reduction of labor costs from quicker installations; Municipal authorities will be confident knowing that a prescriptive standard is being followed; Homebuilders can be confident that the cost for a home’s fire protection system will come in on, or close to, budget; and Homeowners will have an economical, effective and life-saving fire protection system in place that did not substantially increase the price of their home. Related articles NFPA 13D symposium to be held in...
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Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition announces two new stipends for fire departments
Through funding from a U.S. FEMA Fire Prevention & Safety Grant, the nonprofit Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC) will offer two new stipend programs to U.S. fire departments looking to increase home fire sprinkler education within their communities. HFSC will award 15 U.S. fire departments with $1,500 stipends to partner and complete an education program with their local technical/vocational schools. Working together, those students, who may be future members of the homebuilding industry, will learn about the benefits of home fire sprinkler systems. The second stipend program provides $1,000 to 25 U.S. fire departments to pay for materials to build demonstration units and conduct live home fire sprinkler demonstrations within their communities. HFSC provides guidance for building the units and conducting a public education event through its free Fire and Sprinkler Burn Demonstration Kit. Only U.S. fire departments that are members of HFSC’s free BUILT FOR LIFE Fire Department (BFLFD) Program can apply for the stipends. Visit HFSC and sign up to become a BFLFD Apply for the $1,500 technical/vocational education program stipend by March 29. Apply for the $1,000 side-by-side demo stipend by April...
Read MoreGetting homebuilders on board with fire sprinklers
An article in the International Association of Fire Chiefs’ (IAFC)OnScene magazine, written by Gary Keith, vice president of field operations and education at NFPA and president of the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC), pinpoints the many ways that the HFSC reaches out to homebuilders with education about fire sprinklers. The article underscores the National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) opposition as the leader in the “powerful anti-sprinkler legislation charge” as evidenced by the fact that “the group's online document Value of NAHB Membership lists its work to defeat mandatory sprinkler protection as one of the membership benefits.” Mr. Keith states that while other organizations have focused on advocacy HFSC has been “tackling the problem from another angle: education.” HFSC has reached out proactively to homebuilders and has exhibited NAHB's International Builders Show (IBS), “which is the best-attended conference for the homebuilding industry, drawing tens of thousands of professionals every year.” As an example of HFSC’s educational outreach, the article explains that the organization “also offers an interactive, 3-D behind-the-walls educational online video, which shows how an NFPA 13D system is supplied and installed and how it operates in a house.” Mr. Keith says that “the tide is turning as more homebuilders want to learn about home fire sprinklers and are starting to offer them regardless of their communities'...
Read More2011 latest estimates on major fire causes now available
NFPA has published the latest statistics on major fire causes. The statistics are based on fires reported to local fire departments and include trend data that indicate the evolution of the problem. NFPA’s latest estimates of: Home fires started by playing Electrical failures in home fires Home candle fires Home cooking fires Home fires involving electrical distribution or lighting equipment Home heating fires Intentional home structure fires Home fires started by smoking materials The above fact sheets contain links to the complete statistical reports from which the data comes...
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